Tulchin Research
6%4%2%0%
Democrat
Joe Kerr
CA-40 primary: first place
$31.2K
JUN 6, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleRetired firefighter
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyProgressive Democrat
GenderMale
LocationCalifornia
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BackgroundRetired firefighter
Notable personal detailsJoe Kerr is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in California’s 40th Congressional District. A retired Orange County Fire Authority fire captain, he has also served as president of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association and held leadership roles in labor organizations. He previously ran for Orange County Board of Supervisors (District 4) and was the Democratic challenger to Rep. Young Kim in 2024.
SourcesShowHide
fec.govelections.cdn.sos.ca.govjoekerrforcongress.comvoiceofoc.orglatimes.comprojects.propublica.orgen.wikipedia.orgtheliberaloc.comwashingtonpost.comballotready.orgweareprogressives.orgjoincalifornia.comvotewiser.comv4pcandidates.orgfirerescue1.combluevoterguide.orgaclusocal.orgstatic1.squarespace.comdocs.voteinfo.netthecoastnews.comjustfacts.votesmart.orgadasocal.orgyahoo.comgov.ca.govnrcc.orgstatic.votesmart.orghistory.house.govwikidata.orgdocquery.fec.govcongress.gov
Positions
LiberalConservative
Economy & Taxes
Supports expanding tax relief for working- and middle-class families (e.g., child tax credit and earned income tax credit), backing tax credits and financing tools to spur housing and workforce investment, and opposing tax breaks that primarily benefit large corporations while advocating federal investments to reduce costs for households. Priorities emphasize targeted tax relief and public investment to lower healthcare, housing, and energy costs rather than broad tax cuts.
Healthcare
Supports protecting the Affordable Care Act and coverage for people with pre-existing conditions; aims to lower prescription drug prices by expanding Medicare’s negotiating power and to cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors and families. Also supports increased funding for community clinics, mental-health and addiction services, protections against surprise medical bills, expanded access to reproductive and maternal care, and investments in caregiver and senior supports.
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Immigration & Border
Supports professional, adequately resourced border security and increased border agents and tools to stop drug trafficking and smuggling while also calling for oversight and accountability of ICE, targeted constitutional enforcement, and concern for asylum backlogs and humane treatment. Positions combine enforcement measures with protections and reforms to make the system more orderly and humane.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
The candidate supports restoring and codifying the protections of Roe v. Wade at the federal level, defends access to in vitro fertilization and contraception, and opposes criminalizing patients or providers; he commits to protecting and expanding access to safe, legal reproductive healthcare.
Climate & Energy
The candidate emphasizes climate action focused on wildfire mitigation, environmental enforcement, and federal investment in prevention technologies. He supports holding polluters accountable, securing federal funding for early-detection wildfire technology, and enforcing water quality protections. Positions are framed around reducing carbon footprints and increasing climate resilience rather than explicit calls to phase out fossil fuels or adopt Green New Deal–style language.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports a package of gun safety measures including universal background checks, closing loopholes, red-flag laws with due-process protections, waiting periods, bans on high-capacity magazines and military-style assault weapons, and stronger coordination to prevent illegal gun trafficking. Emphasizes protecting communities while respecting responsible gun ownership and strengthening mental-health and crisis-intervention resources.
Polls
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 2026Total raisedCash on hand
$254.9K
$191.2K
$127.5K
$63.7K
$0
2026
LatestYear
Total raised
Cash on hand
Total spent
Burn rate
Cycle 2026
$254.9K
$34.1K
$220.8K
$13.0K
Source: FEC
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
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